Ricky Rubio brought up the importance of team chemistry the other day, when he was talking about the commotion caused among Jazz players as the trade deadline came and went. As for that drama, he said, “Do I like it? No. I hate it. … The team sometimes, upstairs, they don’t feel like the chemistry matters, and sometimes it matters more than anything.”
I asked a prominent, respected basketball coach once about the importance of team chemistry. His keep-it-anonymous response was surprising. “The hell with team chemistry,” he said. “Give me a roster of tough, talented players who don’t necessarily like each other, who might go off and punch another guy, who might not even be nice, happy people, but who play smart, who work their asses off and compete like SOBs, and watch me win with them.